Native Plants—A Vital Part of a Sustainable Landscape
Who and what does your yard sustain? An odd question perhaps, but important to consider. Certainly any open space helps to nurture your spirit. Maybe if you have a vegetable garden or even a small farm, your yard sustains you and your family. But let’s look closer. Who, or what, else does your yard support? As open space disappears, it becomes increasingly necessary to look at our own landscapes as a refuge for biodiversity. The multitude of native organisms including plants, mammals, birds, amphibians and insects creates an intricate web of life. This is a wonderful natural orchestration with each specie’s life cycle highly dependant on the others.
For example, spring wild flowers are pollinated by and provide nectar to tiny flies. These flies become food for early spring birds. The timing is orchestrated perfectly. Some birds that eat insects all summer also eat seeds and berries just before migration. It is not a coincidence that the local native plants have seeds and berries ready just when the birds need them. Bird droppings are the best way to get their seed dispersed. Wild Ginger seeds have a coating that ants love to eat—they take the seed down to their nest to eat the coating and discard the seed in their trash, effectively planting it in a nutrient rich environment. Plants and animals that have evolved together depend upon each other for survival.
Most typical suburban lots, however, contain only a few species which are often non-native to the area. Lawns are usually a sterile monoculture. Highly cultivated plants with big flashy flowers typically found in suburban yards never produce seed so they don’t help feed anyone. There is compelling evidence that non-native plants cannot be eaten by most native insects. This chilling phenomenon is described beautifully by Dr. Douglas Tallamy in his book Bringing Nature Home, How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in our Gardens, where he states that “the bottom line is: Native fauna needs native flora in order to survive.”
Unfortunately, native plants, a vital part of the web, are being lost at an alarming rate. Removing a certain endemic plant from the landscape will likely remove the insect that feeds on that plant, which in turn may eradicate the bird that feeds on that insect. And this is just a simplified example.
The loss of a species can quickly escalate to affect an entire ecosystem. To paraphrase Paul Ehlrich author of Native Plants: Relationship of Biodiversity to the Function of the Biosphere, removing native species from an ecosystem is like taking rivets out of an airplane wing. It is impossible to know which rivet is the last one holding the whole thing together.
There are real and practical pay-offs to encouraging a more biologically diverse yard. Healthy, balanced ecosystems clean our water and air. Pollinators are vital to food production. There are also other profound reasons for using native plants in your yard. Aesthetically and spiritually native plants enhance your sense of place. Native plants are one of the most visible elements in the local landscape. They are part of what makes a region unique. Learning and growing native plants promotes a deeper understanding and respect for the land.
When planning your garden or designing your landscape this year consider planting native plants, plants that have grown in the region without human intervention since before European settlement. Look for local ecotypes, native plants that developed in this area and are best suited for the local climate and conditions. For example, Red Maple is a tree native to the entire eastern half of North America, but a Red Maple from the south may not do as well in Northeast Ohio as a Red Maple originally from our area.
Keep in mind that the right plant must still be planted in the right place. A local ecotype native that naturally grows in a shady swamp will not do well if planted high and dry in a sunny garden bed. Learn to respect the contours and idiosyncrasies of your space. If you have a low damp spot there are many native plants that will do just fine in those conditions. If you have a hot dry place in your yard, there are native plants that will thrive in that spot. A little research will yield the best results. Ask your local nursery for native plants.
Native plants will do just fine in a traditional garden bed and you can use them to create a lovely garden. I encourage everyone to maximize their benefit to the environment by using them as nature does. Plant in groups. Use layers of plants to fill the space and avoid the use of fertilizer—excess nitrogen only encourages weeds. Skip the pesticides and embrace insects. A few holes in the leaves mean caterpillars for birds to eat and the promise of butterflies in the future. Leave plant seeds for the birds by allowing stalks and grasses to stand as cover for the winter. Think of your garden’s function as well as its beauty. Native plants are vital to the web of life, which ultimately supports us all.
For more information, contact Kathryn Hanratty at Enviroscapes Design at 440-477-5468 or kathy@enviroscapesdesign.com